School Blues - Bleach
by sivdre
Summary: ichigo has not had a peaceful day in a long time. Maybe one or two could open his eyes to things in the real world...


There are many teenagers who wish they weren't in school. They moan and groan and skip if they can to get away. However I'm not like most high school students. A full day in school is a day of bliss. I wish I had more of them. Teachers droning on about whatever current events were going on, other students passing notes or texting if they were brave enough. Text books full of word problems and numbers. How i would love to be so blissfully unaware of the ghost hovering above the teachers' hand writing on the chalkboard. He was looking over his shoulder slapping his rear end and laughing. I was trying to ignore him although my eye was twitching in irritation. They always seem to know that I could see them even when I tried so hard to ignore them. Was there some kind of ghost forum where they listed people like me to mess with? This particular ghost had been hanging around for about a week now and he was really pushing his luck. I would have to take time after class to send him on his way or I was likely going to flip out and end up in trouble.

" Hey Ichigo! Are you having a mental breakdown or something?" Tatski whispered overly loud behind me. I could feel the sweat drop sliding down my spine as I angled my body slightly to look at her.

"You are telling me you don't see him?" I asked incredulously. I knew that since we had returned from the Soul Society that Tatski and a few others had picked up spiritual pressure and had begun to see ghosts and even the outlines of hollows.

Her face drew up in a bit of leering smirk as she winked at the teacher's back. "Of course! Who did you think he was flirting with Ichigo? You?" her face flashed quickly to a studied boredom as I heard the teacher call my name.

"Kurosaki-san, if you would so kindly explain the meaning behind the last passage we were reading I would have to forget I thought you may have been talking out of turn." Mrs. Kasuki said meaningfully raising her eyebrow intent on catching me off guard.

" Eh… Yyeah… So the problem the author was trying to outline in this text was that the constant build of plastic in the oceans is causing de habitation for sea life and with the continued overfishing of the local waters Japan is seeing a rise in hunger and costs of once plentiful food sources. If we clean up the refuse and start relying on fisheries instead of wild caught sea life we have a better chance of our oceans return to a healthier state." I had stammered out the answer to start with but after I got going I was confident while skimming the text that I was in the clear.

"Very good Kurosaki-san. I will be adding you to the Debate team immediately as one of their members is currently in the hospital overcoming some kind of jungle fever he picked up over spring break. You will wait after class is dismissed for additional information about the next debate." She had surprised me with that one. I knew we had a debate team but I never had time or inclination to follow extra-curricular activities that involved staying indoors. Seeing my face set on mutiny she continued speaking in front of my snickering or dumbfounded classmates. " If you'd rather not then I will have to as you to take additional classes over summer break. Your grades are in need of improvement."

"Yes Ma'am. I'll wait after class." I said ducking my head so that the rest of the class might not see my shameful blush. What an underhanded tactic. The teacher resumed her lecture turning back to the board. Meanwhile the ghost had floated beside Tatski and was making loud irritating kissing noises. I don't know how she could stand it. Orihemi was holding her text book up high enough to cover her smothered giggling as Tatski continued to look bored with a wicked gleam in her eye. Great. now I'd have to keep quiet or deal with her later.

BBBBBBBRRRRRIIIIIIIIIINNNNNNNNGGGGGGGGGG!

The room was an orderly rush, with several people turning to shoot me a smirk. This did not bode well. I hadn't a clue about this debate that i was being forced into. I still didn't even know who else was on the team or how debates worked. Last time I had heard it mentioned I envisioned a group of geeks bickering back and forth with words that took atleast ten seconds to say and possibly somekind of charts and story boards. Gathering my papers and book I put them in my messenger bag and slung the one strap over my head to cross my chest. Sauntering up to the teacher's desk I waited while the rest of the class cleared out and she finished erasing the board.

"So Kurosaki-san. I Liked your response even though I know you weren't paying a bit of attention to my lecture. Did you skim the board or your book? Perhaps Tatski's notes to find a quick response?" She asked still wiping the board down with the dusty eraser.

I put my hand behind my head to scratch lightly at my neck, I wasn't sure she had caught my response as I had babbled only a little. "I skimmed my book. Sorry my mind has been distracted a lot lately. I meant no disrespect by it ma'am." I replied hoping to keep my feet out of the fire.

She had finished with the dusty eraser and moved on to windex and a soft cloth. Cleaning the board back to a dark black dull gleam. "I also didn't mean the comment about your grades to shame you but to remind you to pay attention. You have been on the declining side in the last year and I am hoping not to fail you. You are a good kid Ichigo. I have been searching for a way to convince administration that you were not slacking on purpose but after the truck had crashed into your home earlier in the year and all the odd coincidences as of late I had assumed you are just a carrier of bad luck." She turned away from the board smiling as she put away the cleaning supplies. "This debate will be just the thing to prove your intelligence and quick thinking. I'm sure of it." She gestured to the chair she had sitting to the side of her desk for when she did one on one tutoring. I sat quickly as she also sat in her seat.

" I appreciate your effort on my part. My father and sister's have been depending on me a lot more lately and I have just been out of it. I hadn't heard anything about the debate team or what is going on with them since the school clubs openings at the start of the year so I'll need to be filled in about it." I finished watching as she had started to pull out papers from a desk drawer.

"Well as you know at least one of the teaching staff has to be accountable for every school team. I am in charge of the debate team so this is convenient for me as well as you." She laid a thin packet of papers on the desk in front of me. I began to read from it while she went on. "Saski fell ill and we had postponed the debate teams trail before inter-school competitions begin. This is to decide whose strengths lie where and how we will set up teams before those competitions. We will be using a multi-sided issue and randomly drawing which point each student will have to defend from the others. Accuracy is key but speed, thoroughness, and quick logic are just as important. Since you pulled that excellent answer out of thin air with no warning I think you will be a good competitor." She pointed to one of the sections I had just started to read. "You will need your father to sign here to allow the time after school and on non-school days to compete. The school will provide transportation from here and back to here and the the meals you may require, /and if we make it to championships they will be comping hotel stays. "

"Wow. This is a lot to take in but it sounds great and if it helps improve my grades that is even better. I'll have pops sign it as soon as I get home. When is this multi-debate going to happen?" I asked still skimming the packet. There sure were a lot of rules of conduct and competition but they all seems fairly straight forward.

"Tomorrow after classes are dismissed. We will have the debate for perhaps an hour and we will have impartial judges listening in via video so that no student may influence or be influenced by a judge. " She pointed to a the small Tv cart that was loaded with equipment. "The video dee can go both ways but only after the judges move to announce the winners and discuss their reasoning will we see who is on the other side. Even I don't know who it will be. I thought it best that way and asked the principal to choose."  
Flipping the packet to the last page she pointed out the debate schedule that was on it. This was the tricky part. I would need to be at these scheduled events with no exceptions so I would be needing extra help from the soul reapers on this schedule as well. I wonder what Renji was doing at the moment...

"Awesome! Well I'll have to be headed home now, is there any hint to what the debate subject will be or are we in the dark until we get there?" I asked as I stood adjusting my bag. Putting the packet of papers in the side pocket so I could read over them on the walk home.

"Sorry Ichigo but you'll have to be in the dark until then. Best way to test your quick thinking skills that way." teacher replied witha smile. She waved me off as she started to gather papers to grade I assumed. Well this was going to be a long night of explaining. Once at home and once at Mr. Hat and Togs' Shop. *~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~* 


End file.
